How Zone Control Systems Can Save You a Great Deal

Summer is on the way, and with it comes the inevitable spike in air conditioning bills. There are a number of ways the average homeowner can save money on those bills, using both small means and large. Small means include things like setting the thermostat a little higher than you normally would, or opening up the house at night and running the fan instead of the AC. But if you’d like to take a larger step than that, consider the benefits of a zone control system in your centralized air conditioner. It’s an upgrade to your existing system, rather than a full-bore replacement, and for an initial fee it can greatly improve your system’s efficiency. Here’s how it works.

Dividing Your Ducts

Your ducts branch out from the centralized furnace or air conditioner: carrying the air to all of the rooms in your home more or less equally. That means that the temperature in the living room will always be the same as the temperature in the bedroom and so on.

Zone control systems install a series of shutters at strategic points in your ducts, dividing the whole home into sections. Each control can be operated independently of the rest of the home, allowing you to individually raise or lower the temperature in each section of the home. The cost of installing a zone control system is much less than replacing the entire air conditioner as a whole, and in exchange you gain a number of tangible advantages.

The Benefits

There are two main benefits to a zone control system: both are extensions of the same basic function.

1. Precise Control. This is more luxury than necessity, but it can do a great deal to enhance the quality of your life. Suppose for instance that you are cooking in the kitchen and want to turn your air conditioner down to counteract the heat from the stove. But your significant other is working in the study, and turning the AC down to make you comfortable would make them freeze. Zone controls allow you both to have what you want: ensuring maximum comfort for everyone without engendering squabbles over the thermostats setting.
2. Monthly Savings. By extending that tendency to its logical extreme, the real value of a zone control system becomes known. You can turn the air off in the parts of the home that you aren’t using, while still running it in the parts of the home that you are using. People during the day tend to use the living room and similar spots, while ignoring the bedrooms and other upstairs rooms. A zone control system lets you shut off the air to those unused parts of the home, while allowing you to enjoy the full benefits of cool air elsewhere. That can cut down on monthly energy bills a great deal, as well as reduce the chances of a more serious breakdown due to wear and tear. Over time, it can even help extend the life of the whole system.

Here in Columbus, OH, zone control systems can be installed by the friendly pros at Quality Air Heating and Air Conditioning.